BAGUIO CITY – The military in Aurora has described its relations with priests in the province as “vibrant and intimate.”

The Army’s 48th Infantry Battalion said this in a statement to deny the report of the Prelature of Infanta that the military’s counterinsurgency campaign has sown fear among the residents and discredited the Catholic Church and its clergy there.

The pastoral statement, signed by 10 priests and noted by Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona, was read during Masses in the province’s eight towns on Dec. 16.

“Military officers of the 48th IB maintain an open communication with the priests in the province. It is just unfortunate that some of the Catholic priests regarded as friends by the unit did not bother to inform the military, especially the 48th IB, about the pastoral letter and its release to the media,” said 1st Lt. Ariel Lobusta, the unit’s civil-military operations officer, in a statement.

Lobusta said the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Natalio Jayson, tackled the issues with Tirona on Dec. 17.

Fr. Nilvon Villanueva said the clergy and laity in Aurora were open to a dialogue with the military to protect human rights.

“But we priests wonder why we are accused of being supporters of the New People’s Army. Our church workers, including catechists, are also harassed. The military did not go to us to clarify. When we issued our statement, it seemed they want to talk to us. The communication was wide open when Bishop Tirona was included in the list of NPA supporters,” Villanueva said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Tirona, he said, called a certain Colonel Quizon in a bid to call the attention of Jayson on the issues. Tirona and Jayson met on Dec. 17, with the bishop raising concern over the issues mentioned in the pastoral statement.

But the resolution of the issues “remains to be seen,” Villanueva said.

Lobusta said the allegation that soldiers told catechists and church volunteers to stop serving the church or stop believing priests because they were NPA supporters was “baseless and purely fabricated.”

Jayson has ordered the soldiers to be prudent in dealing with the residents, and asked his officers to continue checking the veracity of the complaint.

Lobusta also said the checkpoints and inspection of vehicles were part of the normal security operations to preempt the entry of rebels and criminals.

He said reports on the forced evacuation of upland residents were not true.

He admitted that soldiers have occupied barangay halls and health centers in Dipaculao, but said this was approved by the council to enable the military to help in development projects. The public facilities are used by soldiers only at night, Lobusta said.

He said it was the Justice and Peace Action Group, as one of the active organizations in the Catholic Church, which “initiated the drafting of the pastoral letter accusing the military of sowing fear among residents and discrediting the Catholic Church and priests in Aurora.”

Alfonso van Zijl, JPAG secretary, denied this, saying the group did not meddle with the affairs of the prelature. He said the military should also stop accusing militant groups of supporting the NPA.

“We are legitimate organizations seeking real democracy and progress in our province,” Van Zijl said.